Georgia's religious liberty bill could cost Atlanta a Super Bowl bid

The unintended consequences in a fight for "religious liberty" in Georgia keep adding up. The latest? It could cost Atlanta a Super Bowl bid.

The National Football League on Friday joined hundreds of businesses in weighing in on a bill Georgia lawmakers passed this week that would grant religious organizations the right to deny employment based on an individual's religious beliefs or practices or deny use of facilities for events the organization finds objectionable. Opponents, including gay rights supporters and many large corporations, have described the bill as discriminatory.

Should Gov. Nathan Deal (R) sign the bill into law, it could affect Atlanta's chances at hosting the Super Bowl, the league suggested in a statement.

"NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard," spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites."

The bill protects pastors from being forced to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies and individuals from being forced to attend such events. It also allows faith-based organizations to deny use of their facilities for any event they find "objectionable" and exempts them from having to hire or retain any employee whose religious beliefs or practices differ from those of the organization.

Deal this week said he was "pleasantly surprised" that lawmakers had reached a compromise on the bill, which he earlier spoke out against, but the governor did not make clear whether he intended to sign it into law, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"I have heard from both sides, and I'm sure I'll continue to hear from both sides," he said. "I will take their opinions into consideration, and I'll do what I'm required to do: Which is to make the difficult decision on a very difficult subject."

Earlier this month, Deal said he would veto any measure that legalized discrimination.

The bill has drawn comparisons to Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which attracted national attention to that state last year. Just as with that bill, the Georgia measure has elicited a strong response from corporate America.

The NFL is far from the only large business to enter the debate - in fact, it's not even the only sports organization to do so. The NCAA, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks each issued their own statement, some of them far more strongly worded than the NFL's.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said the bill "undermines" his and the state's diverse and inclusive principles and "would have long-lasting negative impacts." The Braves in a statement called the bill "detrimental to our community and bad for Georgia."